Posted by
Sara on
Thursday, March 27th, 2014 with
Comments Off on Busy Season at the Office? Follow Accountants’ Expert Advice on Overtime Meals Comments
When the going gets tough, the tough get going… but they can’t do it on an empty stomach! That’s why smart employers know that during stressful periods — like running up to tight deadlines or working especially long hours — feeding your team overtime meals is a must.
Accountants are the experts when it comes to busy season – and they know food helps!
Image source: Flickr user Tim Regan
Accountants may be the most famous example: the vast majority of accounting firms refer to the first quarter of the year, leading up to April 15th, as the “busy season”. Extremely long hours, working weekends, increased job stress, and a focus on simply surviving the crunch time are the norm for accountants as they work to meet tax deadlines for clients.
The busy season for accountants is predictable (most employees know what they’re getting into when they enter the field), but many firms put in extra effort to make their team feel appreciated and taken care of during the high-stress time. It’s a smart strategy that other industries can learn from: every company undergoes a time when employees are asked to step up, take on extra tasks, and work longer hours.
Read the full article…
Posted by
Sara on
Wednesday, March 26th, 2014 with
Comments Off on Can Vitamin Deficiencies Impact Office Productivity? Nutrient-Rich Business Lunches Help! Comments
It may seem like vitamin and mineral deficiencies should be a thing of the past — or only appearing on commercials starring Sally Struthers — but the sad fact is that many Americans are overfed and undernourished. We have plenty of food, but when we don’t eat the healthiest kinds (fruits, vegetables, nuts, and fish), we can end up being deficient in certain vitamins and nutrients.
Vitamins and minerals help employees perform at their most energetic best!
Image source: Flickr user sharynmorrow
This matters — obviously to individual health, but also in the context of the workplace. A lack of some nutrients can lead to symptoms like fatigue and depression, which certainly take a toll on productivity and energy in the office. Adults need adequate levels of vitamins to function at their best — both physically and mentally — and research shows that we absorb them best when we consume them through our diet, rather than a pill.
Cultivate a workplace wellness culture, and combat the most common vitamin deficiencies that could be harming your employees! Invite a nutritionist in for a health-focused lunch and learn, or provide an incentive for employees to track their vitamin consumption on a smartphone app for a week and determine any weak spots. And, most importantly, lead by example: make sure the business lunches and catered meals you serve are healthy and wholesome.
Read the full article…
Posted by
Sara on
Tuesday, March 25th, 2014 with
Comments Off on Don’t Blame Corporate Catering: 4 Everyday Mistakes that Derail Healthy Eating Comments
Having trouble eating healthy at the office? Don’t blame the birthday cupcakes or the corporate catering.
Occasional cupcakes do less damage than daily bad habits in the office.
Image source: Flickr user Christian Niles
When people complain about how hard it is to meet their diet goals at the office, it’s always the special occasion treats that take the blame. And while cupcakes, lavish catered lunches, and the occasional celebratory pizza party are the biggest temptations to forget all your good intentions, there are far more frequent roadblocks we encounter every day.
Instead of obsessing over occasional pitfalls, watch out for these everyday habits that could be affecting your dietary goals:
Read the full article…
Posted by
Sara on
Monday, March 24th, 2014 with
Comments Off on Consider the Salad Bar for Business Lunches: High-Protein Diets May Lead to Cancer Comments
The Paleo diet may be the one of the most buzzed-about health trends of the last few years, but a new study is suggesting that such protein-rich diets might be linked to cancer risk and a shorter lifespan. If your office is working to promote employee wellness, take note: the potential health ramifications of eating lots of protein, especially animal-based, over the long term shouldn’t be ignored.
We may have a meat-lovers’ problem in America… and our offices.
Image source: Flickr user camknows
The study from the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California tracked the eating patterns of more than 6,300 people in middle age — that is, 50 and over. Researchers found that people who ate high-protein diets (with 20% or more of their daily calories coming from protein) were four times more likely to die of cancer than people who only took less than 10% of their diets from protein sources. They were also three times as likely to die from diabetes, and had higher death rates from any cause.
Of course, the story isn’t that simple (as it rarely is in nutrition studies!). People who ate larger amounts of plant-based proteins (like legumes and nuts) saw a significant reduction in their risk of death compared to those who ate a lot of animal-based proteins, both from meat and dairy.
Read the full article…
Posted by
Sara on
Friday, March 21st, 2014 with
3 Comments
In the middle of a busy work day, food delivery from a favorite takeout spot can be a lifesaver… until your meal leaves you zapped of energy, feeling overstuffed, and guilty for breaking your dietary goals. Isn’t lunch supposed to make you feel nourished and ready to take on the afternoon?
Healthy looks can be deceiving when it comes to Chinese takeout.
Image source: Flickr user RobynLee
Why is it so tricky to find healthy takeout orders? Thousand-calorie salads. Savory sauces full of sugar. And let’s not even get started on portion sizes. Really, any restaurant meal has the potential to be a diet-wrecker, but perhaps no cuisine is as problematic as the kind that arrives in a little white folded box. Vegetables, rice, shrimp, chicken: Chinese takeout sounds like it should be quite healthy, but that’s only true if you know what to look for. Many dishes that sound like smart choices are actually laden with more oil, salt, and sugar than you might imagine.
Read the full article…
Posted by
Sara on
Thursday, March 20th, 2014 with
Comments Off on What Can The School Lunch Overhaul Teach Us About Healthy Business Lunches? Comments
It may sound silly, but this nutrition news isn’t child’s play: in the last few years, school lunches have gotten a lot healthier. Prompted by the continual rise in childhood obesity, and driven by Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” initiative, the national school lunch program underwent its largest overhaul in 30 years. The result? More vegetables, more whole grains, less salt, less fat… and perhaps a few lessons that business lunches and office meals could stand to learn.
What can grown-ups learn about healthy eating from school lunches?
Image source: Flickr user USDA.gov
Eating healthy meals helps us perform better on our daily tasks – regardless of whether we’re taking a spelling test or compiling a quarterly earning report. From consuming enough essential vitamins and minerals to avoiding sugary foods that may harm our memories, what we eat has a real impact on how we work.
Read the full article…
Posted by
Sara on
Wednesday, March 19th, 2014 with
Comments Off on From Meditation to Office Meals: 5 Simple Ways to Boost Employee Happiness & Productivity Comments
Wish your office was a more productive place? Rather than investing in a new software system or creating another measurement tool, take a look at the faces behind all those computer screens. If there are more furrowed brows and frowns than smiles, it might be time to invest in employee happiness. Not only is an office full of happy staffers a more pleasant place to spend your days — it’s also likely to be a much more productive workplace. And it’s worth the investment: unhappy workers may be costing the American economy as much as $300 billion per year.
Investing in employee happiness can pay off in productivity.
Image source: Flickr user Rsms
In 2011, Harvard Business School professor Teresa Amabile published a New York Times column describing her findings from a very detailed, decade-long study of workers’ moods and motivators — her team analyzed more than 12,000 diary entries recorded by hundreds of workers. Their conclusion was very straightforward: “Our research shows that inner work life has a profound impact on workers’ creativity, productivity, commitment, and collegiality. Employees are far more likely to have new ideas on days when they feel happier.”
Read the full article…
Posted by
Sara on
Tuesday, March 18th, 2014 with
Comments Off on Pass the Hummus: How Mediterranean-Inspired Office Meals Can Make Your Employees Happier Comments
We’ve been hearing rave reviews of the Mediterranean diet for several years now. Maintaining a diet rich in fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts, and olive oil (along with the occasional serving of fish, yogurt, and other dairy product) has been linked to a wealth of health benefits. Mediterranean dieters can boast a lower risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s. Their cholesterol tends to be lower, along with their blood pressure, and they’re less likely to be overweight.
This plate may be a key to improving happiness.
Image source: Flickr user ozmafan
Now, however, a new benefit is being touted: people who eat a Mediterranean-style diet may be happier as well as healthier… which means, as an employer, it’s just smart business to focus your corporate catering routine on Mediterranean-inspired office meals. Including nutrition education and cooking classes in the employee wellness program couldn’t hurt, either. Happy employees make for more productive employees, and a growing body of research shows that our diets may have a much larger impact on our mood and well-being than we’ve previously considered.
Read the full article…
Posted by
Sara on
Monday, March 17th, 2014 with
Comments Off on Are Your Office Meals Eco-Friendly? 6 Ways to Go Green in the Break Room Comments
A lot of office break rooms will be green today, from cardboard shamrocks to garishly frosted cupcakes. And while we heartily endorse an office-friendly St. Patrick’s Day party, it brings up a good opportunity to contemplate the other way your office can “go green” at lunch time — every day of the year.
This company has “low carbon lunches” with their real plates and flatware.
Image source: Flickr User 1010uk
Sustainability and eco-friendly practices aren’t just buzzwords anymore. Companies across the globe are going green with the aim of reducing costs, improving their images, and, yes, benefitting the environment. Giant companies may get the most press — Starbucks’ recycled coffee cup sleeves, Wal-Mart’s increasing investment in renewable energy — but small offices are also joining in by emphasizing eco-friendly habits, like producing less waste and encouraging recycling.
Read the full article…
Posted by
Sara on
Friday, March 14th, 2014 with
Comments Off on Hit the Employee Appreciation Jackpot With a St. Patrick’s Day Office Party Comments
St. Patrick’s Day lovers may be feeling a bit of a buzzkill this year: the notoriously hard-partying holiday falls on a Monday. While that may be a disadvantage to bar-hoppers, it could be a big win in the workplace… because there might not be a better occasion for an office party!
St. Patty’s Day is all about celebrating — celebrating Irish culture, celebrating the color green, even traditionally celebrating a lift on the Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol! — so it makes perfect sense to incorporate celebrating your coworkers and employees. On a day when many workers will already be in a festive mood (or at least wearing green out of fear of being pinched), the office should become part of the fun, instead of an obstacle to overcome or suffer through on the way to happy hour.
Break up the Monday monotony with a St. Patrick’s Day office party!
Image source: flickr user Peej’s Photos
After all, demonstrating employee appreciation has been established as one of the key factors in job satisfaction and morale in today’s workplace. Take advantage of this lighthearted holiday to show employees that they’re part of a fun, festive team, and set apart some special time to celebrate together.
Read the full article…
